In response to our post on the recent New Scientist article, which we felt had an anti-ES cell bent, Highfield has responded.

He wrote:

New Scientist has always backed well-conducted research on ES cells and I have voiced my own support many times, notably in After Dolly (written with Ian Wilmut).

And

I am not against well-conducted research with human embryos.

I appreciate his response and I believe him.

But I still think that this particular article was a big misstep on their part and there is a reason that so many people have independently interpreted its message the same way as anti-ES cell research.

There is an unmistakable tone to the article that has rubbed a host of stem cell scientists the wrong way in this regard. I wish I understood why the article was written that way.